Issue Date: November 10, 2002
Global Warming
Ethnic food is hot: Americans indulge an increasing appetite for international cuisine. Grab your pots and pans and get ready to sizzle as 8 top chefs offer worldly side dishes for your holiday table.
By Michele Hatty
Same-old, same-old side dishes sit soberly next to the Thanksgiving turkey year after year. Wouldn't a little new excitement be nice?
USA WEEKEND Magazine gathered eight of our nation's top young chefs to introduce you to ethnic side dishes that appear on their holiday tables. As you plan this year's Thanksgiving menu, we encourage you to take a cross-cultural journey with them.
Start your meal with Cuban corn stew, a dish that the padre of Nuevo Latino cuisine, Douglas Rodriguez, used to watch his grandmother make.
Trade your marshmallow-laden candied yams for Chinese-American chef Patricia Yeo's delicate yet foolproof coconut-sweet potato purée.
Pair your traditional cranberry sauce with to-swoon-for mango chutney from Jamaican-born Cheryl Smith.
Replace your breadbasket with Cat Cora's hortopita, a delight special to the Greek island of Skopelos, her family's ancestral home.
For vegetables, swap your limp green beans and tired mashed potatoes for a crisp grapefruit-and-jicama salad from Charles Phan's homeland of Vietnam; a succulent harvest cabbage dish hailing from the Spice Coast of India, where Thomas John grew up; or the saucy plantains François Kwaku-Dongo's mother fixed for him in the Ivory Coast.
Of course, you'll have a turkey on the table, too. You'll want to top it with Aaron Sanchez's signature mole (MOH-lay), a richly textured Mexican chocolate-and-chili pepper sauce that's delicious on leftovers, too.
Pull up a chair. The world is waiting.
Go to top
From Mexico: "Gravy"
"Mole is a metaphor for Mexicans," says Aaron Sanchez, 29, explaining the savory chocolate-infused sauce commonly used to enhance chicken or turkey. "Everyone has their own recipe, and they pass it down from generation to generation." For Sanchez, who was born in New York to noted Mexican chef Zarela Martinez, mole also is an art. Co-owner and chef at Paladar in New York City, Sanchez has refined his mole by using what he calls a trifecta of chilies -- smoky ancho, hot pasilla and colorful guajillo -- alongside a passel of fruit. "Mole always reminds me of the fall, with the dried apricots and prunes," he says. "It's an arduous process to make it, but it's always worth the time."
Mole Sanchez
2 ounces dried ancho chilies
2 ounces dried pasilla chilies
2 ounces dried guajillo chilies
1/4 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 tomato, sliced
2 tomatillos, peeled
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 Tb. black raisins
2 Tbs. dried apricots
2 Tbs. prunes
1/2 cup red wine
2 tsps. Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 clove
1/2 large cinnamon stick
2 cups chicken stock
Vegetable oil
1/4 yellow plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
2 1/2 ounces Ibarra chocolate (or substitute unsweetened chocolate)
1/2 corn tortilla
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Seed and devein the dried chilies. Place all the chilies on a sheet pan and toast them in the oven for 2 minutes, until they start to release an aroma. Remove from oven quickly and submerge in a bowl of hot water. Set aside.
Preheat the broiler. Place the onions, tomatoes, tomatillos and garlic on the sheet tray and roast under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the raisins, apricots, prunes and wine. Cook until the fruit has absorbed all the wine, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
In a hot pan, toast all the spices; turn them quickly to prevent burning and remove as soon as you see them smoking. Grind in a spice grinder, or pound in a mortar or cast-iron skillet, and set aside.
Drain the chilies. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the chilies, roasted vegetables, wine-soaked fruit and toasted spices. Add the chicken stock, and simmer 30 minutes.
In a sauté pan with 3 inches of hot vegetable oil, fry the plantains until golden.
To the large pot, add the plantains, chocolate and tortillas. Cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and purée until smooth. Serve with turkey.
Serves 8. Yields 4 cups.
Go to top
From China: Potatoes
Patricia Yeo, 42, a Chinese American, was born in the United States but grew up in England without a Thanksgiving tradition. Today, as the executive chef of AZ and Pazo in New York City, she loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner because of the creativity that can be put into side dishes. "I wanted to do a sweet potato purée, but instead of using cream I decided to use coconut milk. Coconut's a big thing in Southeast Asian cooking. This dish is great because you simply cannot screw it up."
Sweet Potato-Coconut Purée
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a small saucepan, simmer the coconut milk until reduced by one-quarter.
In a large pot of salted water, boil the sweet potatoes until very tender. Drain well and transfer to a food processor or mixer. Add the coconut milk and nutmeg and mix together just until smooth. Season to taste with more nutmeg, salt and pepper. Serve hot. Serves 8. Yields 7 cups.
Go to top
From Greece: Bread
Cat Cora, 35, lives just outside San Francisco and is the chef at Postino in the East Bay, but she identifies herself as a Southerner and a Greek American. She grew up in Jackson, Miss., the city to which her Greek grandfather immigrated. "Our Thanksgivings are very Southern and very Greek at the same time," she says. "We would have candied yams and corn pudding and mint jelly, but then we would also have feta cheese and kalamata olives and spanikopita. We brought the two cuisines and the two cultures together." Recently she returned to Greece, where her aunts taught her to make this hearty, greens-stuffed specialty bread.
Hortopita
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds (about 15 cups) arugula, spinach and dandelion greens, mixed
2 leeks, cleaned and cut into half-moons
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup each, dill and parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, combine the flour and baking powder.
Add the water and 2/3 cup olive oil and process until smooth and well blended. Remove; knead into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes or until ready to use.
Thoroughly clean and rinse the greens. Dry in a towel. Chop roughly and set aside.
In a large sauté pan on medium high, heat 1/2 cup olive oil. Add leeks and onions; sauté until soft. Add the green onions and sauté about 2 minutes. Add the chopped greens and cook until wilted.
In a large bowl, mix the cooked greens with the dill, parsley, mint, feta cheese and pepper. Taste to see if the cheese has added enough salt; if not, add a touch of salt.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece of dough as thinly as possible into a rectangle. Brush the dough lightly with the remaining oil and put 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the filling lengthwise in the center of each rectangle. Roll the dough and filling up like a cylinder. Place it seam-down on a large buttered baking sheet, bent in an arc. Repeat this process, placing the arcs next to each other to form one large coil. Brush the coil with olive oil and poke small holes in it with a fork.
Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Serve warm.
Serves 12.
Go to top
From Jamaica: Chutney
When Cheryl Smith, 39, was a girl in Jamaica, she and her brothers would race home after school to see who could get the first mango to fall from the tree in their yard. "When they fall from the trees, they're super ripe. We had mango trees and lime trees. It was great." This Thanksgiving, the New York City-based chef, who is working on a cookbook, is taking her family to her mother's house in Connecticut -- with this fabulous chutney in tow.
Mango Chutney
1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, finely diced
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. whole coriander
4 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
6 mangoes, not too ripe, peeled, cored and diced
2 cups water, divided
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil. Add onions and sauté 4 minutes. Add jalapeños and cumin seeds and sauté until fragrant. Add the cloves, cinnamon and coriander. When fragrant, add the ginger, mangoes and 1 cup water.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until mangoes are soft. Add the lime juice, vinegar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup water and sugar. Return to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add salt and pepper.
Cool completely. Put in glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Yields about 7 cups.
Go to top
From the Ivory Coast: Plantains
François Kwaku-Dongo, 43, recalls that when he was a boy, "my mother would make this for us as a snack. In November in the Ivory Coast, when the children are playing and the mothers are busy tending the fields, the plantains are very ripe." After 20 years in America, the chef at Spago Chicago still makes the dish for his family and friends at Thanksgiving. "Everyone talks about their favorite childhood memories of Thanksgiving. Since I didn't grow up here, I like to bring an African dish and tell stories of my past, too."
Fried Plantains With Tomato Relish
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups plum tomatoes, diced and seeded
1 cup tomato paste
2 red bell peppers, diced (or substitute 2 jalapeño peppers or 2 dried habañero peppers)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 yellow plantains (very ripe), peeled and cut in 1-inch-thick slices
1 cup vegetable oil
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tbs. oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent, about
1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers and bouillon cubes. Cook on low
heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and black pepper. Remove from heat but keep warm.
In a large, heavy pan or deep fryer, heat 1 cup oil. Season the sliced plantains with salt and pepper. In small batches, fry them for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain; keep warm.
Arrange the plantains attractively on a heated plate and scoop a large spoonful of sauce over each plantain. Serve immediately.
Serves 8. Yields 6 cups tomato relish and 7 cups plantains.
Go to top
From India: Cabbage
Thomas John, 36, hails from Kerala in southern India, along what is commonly called the Spice Coast. "Traders from the Middle East would come to Kerala for cardamom and peppercorns and the like," he says. John, now the executive chef of Boston's Mantra, uses native spices for this fragrant recipe, which he learned from his mother. "It's a dish we make during a festival that coincides with the harvest season. It's very simple, fresh."
Green Cabbage Thoran
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
2 dried red chilies, chopped
1 whole green cabbage, shredded (about 2 pounds)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 sprig curry leaf, available at Indian markets (or substitute 1 Tb. chopped cilantro)
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 cup fresh grated coconut (or packaged unsweetened coconut)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
In a frying pan, heat the oil until smoking. Add mustard seeds and red chilies, and cook until the seeds begin to "crackle."
Add the cabbage, onion and curry leaf.
Stir briefly, then add the cumin, turmeric and chili powder. Cover and cook for about 7 minutes.
Toss in the coconut and garlic. Cook 7 minutes more, stir well and serve.
Serves 8. Yields 8 cups.
Go to top
From Cuba: Soup
"Thanksgiving is my single favorite holiday," declares Douglas Rodriguez, 37, who is credited with the invention of "Nuevo Latino" cuisine. Now chef-owner of two Manhattan restaurants, Pipa and Chicama, Rodriguez was born in New York to Cuban parents and grew up watching his grandmother cook. "One of my earliest memories is watching her make this dish. It's a corn stew with a nice flavor. It's very traditional Cuban." This Thanksgiving will find Rodriguez at home, cooking for family and friends. "We always eat at 2 o'clock, so nobody eats lunch." The feasting moves quickly. "By 4, 5, 6 o'clock, people are already having turkey sandwiches!"
Guiso de Maíz
1/2 cup lard (or butter)
1 cup white onion, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 Tb. finely minced garlic
6 to 8 ears sweet corn, shucked and kernels cut off (or 4 cups of frozen corn kernels)
2 quarts water
1 pound fingerling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or substitute Yukon Gold potatoes)
1 pound (about 3 cups) of calabaza squash, peeled and diced (or substitute butternut squash)
3 Tbs. tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the lard. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic; sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the corn kernels and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water, potatoes and pumpkin. Whisk in the tomato paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Serves 10. Yields 13 cups.
Go to top
From Vietnam: Salad
Charles Phan, 40, learned to cook at his mother's side in Vietnam. Now, as chef and owner of the
Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco, he reinterprets classic dishes like this one. "Grapefruit salads are common in Vietnam. Street vendors make them. They're traditionally served with shrimp and pork and with fish sauce as a dressing. I tweaked this recipe to make it vegetarian." This Thanksgiving, Phan and his extended family will gather at a house in the country and spend the day cooking together. "We'll do some American fare and some of our favorite dishes," he says. "Whatever we're in the mood for."
Grapefruit Salad With Jicama
4 cups red cabbage, thinly shredded, washed, rinsed twice and patted dry
2 cups jicama, very thinly shredded
1 cup carrot, very thinly shredded
1 large grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup rau ram, which is Vietnamese coriander (or substitute 2 Tbs. mint plus 2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped)
1/2 cup candied pecans (see recipe below)
1/2 cup dressing (see recipe below)
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss well and serve.
Serves 8. Yields 9 cups.
Candied Pecans
1/2 cup egg whites (4 large eggs)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups pecans halves
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
With whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. With mixer still on, slowly add sugar and salt. Beat 2 more minutes.
Fold egg whites into pecans. Then spread mixture onto an ungreased sheet pan.
Bake until egg whites are puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Toss to deflate whites, spread out again and bake until nuts are lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Yields 3 cups. Set extras out for guests to nibble on before the meal.
Dressing
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Thai chilies, seeded (or substitute 1 jalapeño)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
In a mortar, food processor or blender, pound the garlic, chilies and sugar into a paste. Add soy sauce, vinegar and water. Yields 3 cups. Store in refrigerator.
Cover photo by Brad Trent
|
